Body Healthy. Soul Happy.

You’re Too Fat For 911

Written by Kim on Aug 19th, 2009 | Filed under: Personal Health

I mentioned the other day that I have a friend in emergency medicine and we were talking about the effects our country’s rising weight is having on emergency medicine and the ability of EMTs and Paramedics to help save lives.

From our conversation I’ve put together a Top 10 List of reasons why your weight can be critical to saving your life in an emergency.

#10. There’s only two of us. Ambulances generally only carry crews of two people who together can lift a weight of about 200lbs. larger people require more people to lift them, which means it takes longer to get a patient into the ambulance and to the hospital.

#9. The stretcher won’t hold you. Extremely large people often cannot fit on a stretcher and through doorways, through hallways or in staircases which means that firefighters must spend valuable time finding another way to extricate the person from where they are so they can be taken to a hospital.

#8. We have to wait for another department to get here. Fire Departments are having to replace perfectly good equipment with new equipment that can handle heavier patients. If the department does not have this equipment and the patient’s weight to great for the equipment they have, they must call another department to bring the proper weight-rated stretcher or other equipment. This can mean an additional 30 minutes or more until the patient can be taken to the hospital.

#7. I can’t feel your pulse. The more obese a person is the harder it is for medics to take vital signs, assess breathing, start an IV and determine the correct dose of life saving drugs. Once at the hospital, CT scanners and MRI Machines generally have a weight restriction of 250lbs.

#6. I can’t get you out of the car. Extricating heavier patients from a car wreck is considerably more difficult and more time consuming than removing a lighter person.

#5. Between you and me, there’s no room left to work. The larger the patient, the less room there is for medics to work in the ambulance. The lack of space can negatively impact the care a patient receives en route to the hospital.

#4. Oh, it shouldn’t have been this bad. Heavier patients are often more critically injured in a car wreck or other traumatic event because of the additional force that is created from their body weight during impact.

#3. Uhoh, your heart’s giving out. Heavier patients’ bodies are often less able to sustain life after a significant trauma because their hearts, blood vessels (especially arteries) and vital organs are already overworked, stressed and damaged from their daily diet and weight.

#2. I can’t get your airway open. Obesity can make airway management extremely difficult. And if you’re not breathing, you can’t survive.

And the number one reason weight can affect your ability to survive and emergency…

#1. CRAP! We’re losing ‘em! The heavier a person is the more at risk they are for heart attack and stroke, two conditions that are EXTREMELY time sensitive, require precise treatment and immediate transport to a hospital.

The next time you pop through the drive-thru, decide to skip your workout or put off losing those extra 20lbs, think about how weight can affect your chances of survival in an emergency. It’s a whole new reason to treat yourself well, live healthy and be happy.

If you’re ready to take control and lose that extra weight give me a call. White Oak Nutrition has a weight loss challenge starting in September. Its fun, has great prizes (like cash), and best of all YOU CAN DO IT!

59 Comments Enjoyed this post? Subscribe via RSS. Thanks for visiting!

Larry Hulsey, on August 22nd, 2009 at 8:14 am Said:

wow! definitely food for thought. very good article, kim.

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